West Coast great Peter Matera needs one more stent inserted after suffering a heart attack on Sunday.
The incident happened while the 53-year-old was chopping wood on his family farm in Echuca.
Matera’s heart attack scare comes after a series of tragic heart attacks among Australia’s sporting royalty.
Former Test stars Shane Warne and Rod Marsh died in March, while ex-WA cricketer Ryan Campbell is lucky to be alive after suffering a cardiac arrest in April.
Unfortunately, it’s also caused anti-vaxxers to make the connection that these heart attacks are caused by vaccines… all without knowing a single thing about an individual’s history or health status.
So, in the spirit of doing our own research, we asked the one place that would know if there really has been an uptick of heart attacks in this group of men since the introduction of COVID-19 vaccines: The Heart Foundation.
What they told us blew our minds… could having the COVID-19 vaccine actually protect our hearts?
Julie-Anne from The Heart Foundation reminded us that, “it’s important to remember that heart disease is the leading cause of death in men and women in Australia.”
When asked if numbers have gone up since the COVID-19 vaccination program began, Julie-Anne confirmed “the numbers are pretty much the same.”
Julie-Ann urged us that, “it’s important to know what your personal risk is, to take steps and reduce it,” she added, “these high profile cases really shine a light on why heart attacks and heart disease is still a pressing issue.”
“The fact is, as high profile and as tragic as these events are, 50 people die of heart disease everyday.”
Meanwhile, Matera’s younger brother, former Eagle Phil, urged people to get a check-up with their doctor to avoid a similar fate.
